• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.125-142
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• 2010

The main purpose of this study was to examine whether different cultures affect attachment style by comparing Korean and American adolescents, with a focus on parent attachment and peer attachment. Data were collected from middle and high school students(291 Korean adolescents, 158 American adolescents), and the participants were asked to report on the revised version of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment(IPPA-R). The analysis showed significant differences on both parent and peer attachment between Korean and American adolescents: Korean adolescents had more negative relationships with their parents compared to American adolescents. In contrast, Korean adolescents had more positive relations(high trust and communication score, low alienation score) with their friends than American adolescents. More results on the relationships between attachment style and socio-environmental variables were presented, and each of these results could be interpreted by cultural difference. Based on these results, parent-child programs and peer programs that can enrich the relationships that a child has with his or her parents and friends were introduced for researchers, educators, teachers, and counselors. The implications and recommendations for future research were also presented.

• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.75-86
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• 2005

This study examines unique manifestations of intergenerational conflict related to the acculturation process of immigrant families. No scale that measured the acculturation aspect of intergenerational conflict exsited. Thus, a new scale was developed to investigate this unique aspect among Korean American adolescents. The study design was cross-sectional, and employed a convenience sampling method. The participants were Korean American adolescents of junior and senior high school age, 14 to18 years old. The study was conducted at eleven Korean churches and one hakwon (private out-of-school studies .institute) in Fairfax County, Virginia. Korean American adolescents expressed that the issues related to education, such as academic pressures and high expectations, caused intergenerational conflict most frequently. Unlike findings from previous studies, the participants indicated that language differences between parents and children rarely caused intergenerational conflict. Contrary to previous findings, none of the characteristics variables, such as age, gender, length of residency and language preference, were significantly correlated with this unique conflict. This study provides a rare opportunity to enhance our understanding on how Korean American adolescents interact with their immigrant parents.

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.1631-1643
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• 2016

Depressive symptoms are one of the biggest mental health issues among Korean American adolescents. Previous studies have found that parental warmth and intergenerational family conflict have a major impact on depressive symptoms among Korean American adolescents. This cross-sectional study examines the mediation effects of intergenerational family conflict between perceived parental warmth and depressive symptoms among 97 Korean American adolescents aged 14 to 18 years old in the Pacific Northwest region. The results revealed that 60% of participants experienced depressive symptoms. In addition, mother-adolescent conflict significantly mediated between perceived parental warmth and depressive symptoms while father-adolescent conflict did not significantly mediate. The finding suggests the need to develop intervention programs for Korean American adolescents and their parents that focus on creating an understanding of the difference between Korean culture and American culture, identifying early signs of depressive symptoms, and decreasing intergenerational family conflict by teaching parents to express parental warmth effectively.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.65-80
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• 1997

Korean-American and American adolescents' attitudes toward the elderly(OP Scale) and their perception on the generational difference(GN GAP) were compared to find whether there is a difference according to the race. Adolescents' perceived generational gap was considered to be one of the most influential factor affecting their attitudinal differences. Adolescents regardless of face showed a somewhat positive attitudes toward the elderly and they perceived generational gap a little positively. Adolescents' age and sex were found not to be related with their attitude toward the elderly and generational gap. For the Korean-Americans birth-order was negatively related to the generational gap perception. the quality of relationship with grandparents was the crucial factor influencing adolescents' perceptions on generational gap and their attitudes toward the elderly indirectly. Grandparents' health and age affected on the quality of relationship. Additionally adolescents' favorite g andparent was found to be maternal grandmother and their relation style and conflict areas were different according to the race.

• Child Studies in Asia-Pacific Contexts
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.105-122
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• 2013

The relationship between an adolescent and his/her parents is one of the most important relationships that can have a significant effect on adolescents' well-being and functioning. While there has been an increase in research on Asian American families in recent years, still much less is known about adolescent-parent relationships in these families. Asian American adolescents face some of the challenges that mainstream European American adolescents face, but their experiences are complicated by the cultural and immigration-related factors that have unique contribution to their relationships with their parents. As such, there is urgent need for research that identifies and provides a comprehensive understanding of factors that contribute to the experiences of Asian American immigrant families. The current paper provides a systematic look at adolescent-parent relationships in Asian American immigrant families using the Bronfenbrenner's ecological model. More specifically, this paper provides a succinct review of the literature on developmental issues, immigration, and culture-related factors that affect Asian American adolescent-parent relationships, and guided by Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory, an ecological framework of Asian American adolescent-parent relationships is proposed.

• Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.147-152
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• 2006

This study was conducted to define dietary patterns among 227 Korean American adults and 151 teenagers living in California using frequency of intake of major food groups and to examine associations of dietary patterns with selected demographic and acculturation variables. Three dietary patterns, 'healthful', 'Korean', and 'western', were identified using factor analysis. For both groups, 'healthful' pattern was characterized by high loading on milk/milk products, fruit, fruit juice, and bean/bean products. 'Korean' pattern had high loading on rice and kimchi. 'Western' pattern was characterized by high loading on meat/meat products, soda, and noodle/pasta. Among Korean American adults, women tended to have higher scores of 'healthful' pattern but lower scores of 'western' pattern, while there was no association of 'Korean' pattern with gender. The older adults were likely to have higher 'Korean' pattern score. Length of stay in the US and English levels were negatively associated with 'Korean' pattern. Korean American female adolescents had lower 'western' pattern scores than did male adolescents. Age was inversely associated with 'healthful' pattern in adolescents. The adolescents who had felt more proud of being a Korean descendant had higher scores on 'Korean' dietary pattern. The study findings support that dietary patterns are associated with acculturation variables such as length of residence in the US, English fluency, and particularly pride in ethnicity for adolescents. Further studies are needed to understand associations of dietary patterns and acculturation with health risk of ethnic groups.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.104-110
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to examine dietary frequencies among Korean American adolescents in California, including the correlation of acculturation and parental dietary Consumption. This study was drawn from cross-sectional telephone surveys based on data from a larger study of Korean Americans in California using random sampling of residential phone listings. A total of 494 Korean American adolescents, ages 12 through 17, in California were collected with dietary frequencies and acculturation and one parents' demographic and dietary consumption information. Three-quarters of adolescents were classified as 'more acculturated group' into the U.S. society with a lower preference to Korean foods, frequent snacking, and lower consumptions of rice and kimchi. Other quarter of adolescents was classified as 'less acculturated group'. However, the most frequent food items by both groups were rice and kimchi. Fruit and vegetable consumption was associated between adolescents and parents in both groups, but rice and kimchi were associated only among the more-acculturated group. In conclusion, dietary frequencies of Korean American adolescents were influenced by acculturation and parental dietary consumption. These findings should inform future epidemiological researches as well as efforts to enhance the diet of Koreans and other immigrants.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.101-112
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• 2007

The primary purpose of this study was to explore the parent and peer attachment of both American parenting and nonparenting adolescents. Do parenting adolescents differ from nonparenting adolescents in their attachment to their parents and peers? A convenience sample of 190(81 parenting and 109 nonparenting) adolescents were recruited and participated in the current study. The short form of The Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment(IPPA) developed by Armsden and Greenberg(1987) was used to measure attachment to their parents and peers. Overall, both parenting and nonparenting adolescents had more positive relationships with their peers than their mothers and only one significant difference in attachment between parenting and nonparenting adolescents were found in the present study. Parenting adolescents reported having less communication with their peers/friends than nonparenting adolescents. Implications and recommendations for future research are presented.

• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.37-58
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• 2000

Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth (NLSY) were used to examine factors related to adolescent behavior problems, smoking, and delinquency. This study focuses particularly on the factors in an adolescent s immediate environment such as family, school, peers, and neighborhood (i.e. the microsystems) for the identification, prevention, and early intervention of adolescent behavior problems, smoking, and delinquent behavior. Both African American and Caucasian American adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17 for whom data were available in the NLSY were included in this study (N=788). Results indicate that delinquent peer pressure and negative attitudes toward school are important determinants of behavior problems, smoking, and delinquency of American adolescents. Differences between African American and Caucasian American adolescents are highlighted.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.93-103
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• 2014

The objective of the present study is to investigate healing design attributes for adolescent patients and to identify the relationship among healing design attributes and the meaning of home. This study examined the environmental preferences of American adolescents for hospital rooms to investigate age-appropriate healing design attributes. The health-related quality of life (HRQOL) concept was adapted to this study as a theoretical framework. One hundred six American adolescents participated in the survey. Participant adolescents consisted of two groups by their health status: forty-seven adolescent patients who were waiting for their surgical operations in waiting rooms and fifty-nine healthy high school students while they were at school. Participants aged in range from 14-year to 18-year olds with a mean of 16-year olds. Data collection consisted of two different instruments: Emotional state survey with demographics and environmental preference survey. Environmental values that are important to adolescents were control of privacy, having outside view, and quiet places to go. However, staying in a single-bed room for hospitalization is ranked the lowest score for the participating adolescents. Adolescents who perceived higher stress level preferred to have quiet places to go, to control over privacy and to have outside view significantly. The study resulted that the most important design attribute for American Adolescents was "privacy control", which is the essence of the meaning of home. There are some significant discrepancies in environmental preferences of hospital rooms by different genders and different health status.